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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · patient · rule · stem · content · bowl · mark · leaves

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. content — the amount
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. face — to confront
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rule — a law
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rule — government
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com